CIELO E TERRA

Though a departure for him at the time and the start of a serious move in new directions, Al Di Meola's 'Cielo e Terra' is supremely satisfying. A quietly haunting landscape is painted throughout the album as Di Meola focuses on the blend of acoustic guitar with synthesizer washes, allowing these swirls of light and color room to breathe, evoking moods of twilight and gentle desert winds. It also shows the beginnings of what would become his World Sinfonia, a series of projects I cannot say enough good things about. If you're stuck on his high-tech fusion of the 70s then avoid this lovely work. I give it three stars here based on a typical prog rock standard, but this record is too uniquely beautiful to rate in such a way.